2017 Porsche 718 Boxster: Under the hood, a glorious aria yields to Springsteen

Four-cylinder sports cars have become more and more common in the marketplace, and Porsche now has a couple in its lineup with the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman. The re-engineered and renamed 718 Boxster began arriving at U.S. dealerships in mid-2016. Despite getting a four-cylinder, the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is more powerful and more fuel-efficient than the model's outgoing six-cylinder. Here are some test-drive impressions.

"Acceleration is impressive from the 300-hp base model, which hits 60 mph in a scant 4.4 seconds with the optional automatic transmission. There's a slight delay when you push down on the gas pedal for the power to arrive, most noticeable at low speeds. Still, the engine delivers a guilt-free 26 mpg overall. We don't see the need to pay an extra $12,400 to get the 'S' model and its 350-hp, 2.5-liter turbo-four.

"The Boxster's handling hasn't been diluted even one ounce in this redesign. Steering response is near-telepathic, carving into corners with immediacy. The taut suspension provides tenacious, road-holding grip without punishing occupants with an unduly harsh ride."

"This 2.0-liter four makes 'just' 300 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. That's a fair margin better than the output of the previous 2.7-liter flat-six. Assuming the turbo is alive and spinning, torque is more plentiful lower in the rev range, too, making the 718 a far better commuting partner than its predecessor. To answer the all-important exhaust-note question, our staff remains split on whether the new flat-four engine sounds more like a Subaru being waterboarded than like the classic Porsche song of its flat-six predecessor. Without question, it emits a sporty gargling sound that most will equate with 'fast.' The optional sport exhaust ensures that, no matter what you think the 718 sounds like, it can be set to 'louder.'"

"The only drawback is just how clinical it all feels together. The throaty new four-cylinder is a departure – if not a somewhat disappointing one – from the melodic wail of the old Boxster and Caymans' flat six cylinder. Some clever engineering has yielded an optional sport exhaust system that will pop and burble all day long, but the exhaust note is now more Springsteen scabrous than Sinatra smooth. ...

"Thankfully, Porsche has made some improvements to the driving dynamics to match the more responsive drivetrain, and the response is a better-handling Boxster and Cayman than ever before, which is certainly saying something. The previous generation car was one of the most balanced rides on the planet, and through weight saving, clever structural improvements and some helpful new tech, the 718 lineup is a side-road scalpel. ...

"Ride quality is incredibly compliant in easy driving, even on harsh highway expansion joints and is firm when you need it to be, especially with the optional active suspension management."

"No human ear will listen to Porsche's 'boxer' flat-4 and tingle with joy. The normally aspirated six was operatic: The glorious, rising aria of its 7,500-rpm crescendo — WAUUUUUGGGGGHH! — kept your foot buried for more. Fellow gearheads on our test drive outside Austin pined for the six-shooter. Trundle along at 50 mph in the new Boxster and the ghost of an old VW Beetle flat-4 is there: BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA.

"Nail the four and Porsche's engineers coax magic from the crankcase, the four pistons revving as freely as the six, topping out similar, 7,500-rpm redline. But the sound is purposeful, not epic — it's more free-revving machine than howling siren."